In A Different Light
by LowkeyArtistry
Summary: An artist dies in a plane crash and finds himself reincarnated into a fictional world! All he wants to do is travel the world and paint, but he has to get strong enough to do it first. Rated M for violence and occasional use of language, but could honestly be rated T. (Ch 5 fixed, and q's answered!)
1. Concept

**Author Lowkey: "Hello everyone! Down below is basically the concept of this story! I've had this idea in my head for a while now, but writing an entire fic can be such a daunting task to start. However, here I am and I plan to stick with it! I plan for it to be a bit more on the lighthearted side of things, so there won't be too much angst here! Please leave a review and share! Also this is my first fic, so please enjoy!**

Leo Jones was a charismatic photography student who had dreams of experiencing the cultures of his world, but then he died. He was finally on a plane out of the country with his camera and sketchbook in hand, ready for anything. Except for the ill-timed fiery plane crash into the ocean. He believes he'll never be able to achieve his dream, and he waits in the inky blackness of what he believes is the afterlife, light is forced upon him again, and so is a whole lot of adventure to come. He especially realizes this when he realizes exactly where, and when, he was reincarnated to. Join the newly dubbed Asahi Haruko as he becomes a shinobi that rivals the greats and causes ripples in this ever changing new world.


	2. Prologue

He's bored. He's long since reflected on his death and wept over his losses, so now, he just wished something would happen. He sighs wistfully, metaphorically of course, he's not even sure he has a body here. Wherever _here_ is.

He turns his thoughts inwards and runs over his memories briefly before lingering on his last moments once again. He remembers the excitement of finally gathering up enough money to go abroad, and finally taking the first step to fulfilling his dream of experiencing the various cultures of the world. He smiles faintly as he feels himself dragging a pencil over a fresh page in his brand new sketchbook, specifically for drawing the people he would meet on his journey. He was drawing the woman sitting next to him, nearly finished, when there was a sharp jolt and his pencil dragged harshly across the page, ruining the sketch. Then the sounds of creaking metal filled his ears as the plane lost control and they nosedived. Everything was in such clear detail: the feeling of his armrest under his white-knuckled hands, the sight of those yellow masks popping down from overhead, and the screams, _oh the screams_ , and then the clarity was gone, and he was left with nothing.

He pulled away and took a shaky breath, but that was a much better reaction as opposed to the panic he had felt when first coming into the black space. Here it was warm and comforting and slowly soothed his panic as he dealt with his death. That was an odd thing to think about, his own death. There was very little else to do, but think about that, and his life. He'd like to think with all of the time he'd had he'd come to peace with all of his mistakes and felt a calm wash over him. He had always been a quite tranquil and patient person, it took a lot for him to lose his cool. He heard the occasional murmurs, but maybe he was imagining voices after being in the quiet for so long. Humans were just that sociable in general, and he figured that's why people go crazy in solitary confinement. He was always told he had a very overactive imagination. He sighed again, more heavily this time, and absently kicked out was he supposed to be an imaginary limb. He heard those murmurs again soon after the action, but wrote it off and decided to stay still. _Maybe meditating will get rid of them_ he thought and closed his, of course, metaphorical eyes.

He doesn't know how long he stayed there, mind blank, before he felt movement. It was sudden, forceful, and _painful_. Then there was light. He wailed at the brightness of it, which was admittedly not his proudest moment, but you try being in the dark for however long and then suddenly be introduced to this horrible light and _noise_! He was too busy freaking out to notice a pair of arms wrap around him and try to calm him down in a slight panic. This experience was definitely enough to shake his cool.

The disembodied voice cooed at him in a timber tone, which was soothing, but only slightly, so he continued his high pitched wailing. He felt himself be passed into another pair of arms from which a tired, but melodic laugh sounded and a lighter voice cooed at him which calmed him enough to allow him to reduce himself to small whimpers. He calmed down enough to peer at his surroundings, but could only make out misshapen blobs of color, and that was when he his brain decided to catch up to him and he thought _where am I?_ Then promptly fell asleep.

His entire being felt like lead when he woke up later. His thoughts were sluggish and he decided he wanted to sleep more, but before he could his mind caught up with him and he jolted awake. A shiver of disgust ran through him as he realized what he had just gone through before he scrunched his brow in confusion. _How am I alive?_ He shoved the thought to the back of his mind, it would only cause him to panic, and right now he wouldn't find answers anyways. He was always a go with the flow kinda guy, but this was also a little above his comprehension, and he was still in shock, so that's probably the main reason he wasn't totally losing his mind at the moment. He would freak out later. Or maybe not, he was rather good at compartmentalization.

He can proudly say that he was a great baby after the first couple of months. He can also say that the first couple of months were _hell_ for the new parents as he coped with being reborn in a panicky, then later depressed, way. He thought he had come to terms with being dead, but being reborn shocked him into going over it all again. He had still been young! His life was just looking up after years of stress and just being _trapped._ He had gotten his first lick of freedom in college, but hey, maybe this life will hold just as much, if not way more, freedom than what he could've had. He steeled his resolve and became the calm easy baby his new parents would come to know him as. He knew he wouldn't take this life for granted, after all he had already died once, and he didn't plan on doing it again.

 **Author Lowkey: Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I haven't decided on a set length on the chapters yet, and likely never will, but they'll probably all be about this length. Please leave a review and share!**


	3. Chapter 1: Realization

He believes it's been about four months since his rebirth and his eyes are finally developed enough to see a little more than the blobs of color he associates the world with. He has also come to understand his new name, Asahi Haruko. The day also came where he could make out the features of his loving parents, and it was a true achievement in his book despite it being totally out of his control. But then the time finally came where he saw his mother's face. She is a beautiful woman with pale yellow hair, almost white, but shimmers gold in the sun, and dainty features which often rest peacefully when around him. However her most prominent, and shocking feature, were her eyes. Pure white. You couldn't tell the pupil from the sclera and after seeing that he promptly fainted.

He thought after that incident he couldn't be fazed, but he soon found out that the world was much different than he had originally thought. He figured he's been reborn in Japan based on the language, lifestyle, and architecture. Plus there are some bits of technology about so he figured his new family, still a bit strange calling them that, had just chosen to live a more rustic lifestyle. He could respect that. But then one day his father came home, and it wasn't his features that bothered him. He had seen the man many times before, and been subject to his bear hugs that left his cheeks scratched up from the stubble littered across the lower half of his face. He had a grin that would light up a room, but that seemed to be the only especially remarkable thing about him. He has inky black hair and deep brown eyes that dance with mischief, but still rather normal colors, and his features were also fairly average, but maybe just above. The thing that caught his attention that day was a shiny forehead protector wrapped around his arm. A stylized leaf sat idly in the center, mocking him as he stared into the swirl.

He denied the thought as soon as it rushed at him from the depths of his mindscape. _Konohagakure? Naruto? What?_ His dad was also wearing a jounin vest with a red Uzumaki swirl emblazoned on its back. _Cosplay?_ He stopped thinking, and grasped onto what reasoning he could. He denied vehemently the possibility of him being reborn into the Naruto world, and he continued doing so until his first birthday rolled around. At that point he occupied himself with learning the language, talking, and walking while conveniently forgetting the event. Although it lingered in the back of his mind.

His parents decided to throw a very large celebration, and as they put it they had "invited the whole family". How was I supposed to know the "whole family" consisted of _so many people._ Those were his thoughts as he stepped into a large room filled with people who looked very similar, many with brown or black hair and brown eyes. A moment of surprise flashed through him before he calmed again, he had stood in front of way more people than this when giving his valedictorian speech, so he wasn't riled. He doubted much could rile him after so many of the experiences he's had.

He was brought down into the room and the room quieted rather quickly in response. Many smiled in amusement and a parent held each of his hands and brought him to the front of the room where his father welcomed everyone for coming. Many took that as a cue to come up and congratulate him for turning one, _a bit of an overreaction_ , he thought curiously. Then one man strode towards them and smiled kindly, his heart stopped. Was this-? "Hiruzen-sama" his father greeted warmly and reality came crashing down on him. His already pale complexion whitened and his eyes opened in shock. He seemed a bit younger than he remembered though, but perhaps it was just the fact that he was a real person that lessened his age. He was brought back from his thoughts by his father nudging him out of his trance and he quickly bowed and mumbled an apology to _Hiruzen Sarutobi_ , but if he was here then that meant he was part of the Sarutobi clan, and that meant that he was in the- oh god, please don't say it- the _Narutoverse._

 ** _Author Lowkey: Haha! Sorry to leave it on a bit of a dramatic ending! Hope you enjoyed Chapter 2! I'll most likely release the next chapter next week on Sunday and keep a weekly schedule after that. I wanted to post the prologue and first chapter so y'all could get a bit of an idea on how the story will be and my writing style. I might come back and rewrite chapters when I'm nearing the end of the story, who knows, but that will be a loong way off so don't worry about it. Please leave a review and share!_**


	4. Chapter 2: Family

"He looks just like you Mio." Hiruzen stated in amusement as he looked down at the young boy. _Perhaps he inherited her family's kekkai genkai_ he mused as he glanced over the boys light hair and pure white eyes. Even lighter than the hyuuga's violet. _Perhaps he will also pick up on the clan's jutsu learning ability, he already has quite a large pool._ It was a bit of an understatement actually at how much chakra the young boy had. He finished his inspection and smirked when the boy's father, Touma, nudged the boy which prompted him to formally greet the man.

Asahi numbly greeted the rest of the guests after Hiruzen left, and nothing else happened of note at the party. Afterwards, he was told to open his gifts, which he did and was only slightly surprised with what he had gotten. Rubber shuriken and kunai, picture books, a stuffed monkey (probably from Hiruzen), and way too much formal wear and clothing. It all made sense now, and he wasn't exactly displeased of this new world, just in shock, again. He saw the guests out then promptly made his way towards his room, exhausted and needing to sort through this newfound information. He could think on it tomorrow, however, and as soon as his head hit the pillow he was out.

Over the next few months he grew to accept his new life in full and embraced what he was born to become, a shinobi. He wasn't afraid to show some of his intellect, if only so he wouldn't be bored, and absorbed information like a sponge. He still hid most of his activities, however, and then it was finally time for training. Here he excelled. His mother teaching him of his family's kekkei genkai, and yes, he had one, _hooray!_ And get this, he had power over _light,_ how cool was that?! It was perfect for him as he could use light in so many different ways! Well, after he had done basic training of course. His parents had merely told him about it, but he had a long way to go before they would actually train him on it.

Of course that isn't to say he couldn't train his chakra control and whatnot. He spent most of his time sticking leaves to every part of his body that he could fit them discreetly. Neither of his parents were sensors, and although they could feel presences, didn't bother feeling the small amount of chakra he constantly emitted from the usage of the technique. At first he had blown the leaves away because of his large chakra pools, so he used some rocks because they would allow for use of more of his chakra. That was his theory anyways, in reality is caused a lot of pain as rocks kept falling on his toes. It worked in the end however, and his chakra control had improved immensely since the beginning.

He still kept most of his abilities from his parents as he just wanted to live peacefully with them a while longer. He knew what happened to prodigies from Kakashi's shining example. He hadn't me him yet, but maybe someday. Training was fun and he loved them both as if they were his first parents, perhaps even more so, and was a very happy and content child. It seemed he hadn't been doing as well of a job as hiding his training as he thought, and his parents had known he was capable of more than he was letting on. They just didn't question him about it and let him be, but they did plan on introducing him to the world soon.

The first time he left the village was when he was two, and only a few months from his birthday. His mother had to buy some groceries and decided he needed a break from training, so she basically kidnapped Asahi from his training, which he very much enjoyed thank you, and very easily convinced him to come as he had never seen the village before. Outside of the anime of course. She new of his need to explore and need to sate his ever burning curiosity.

It was huge. Like nothing he had ever seen before despite the towering cities of his old world. It was the perfect blend of rustic and new, with colorful shops and bright laughter throughout the village. He could see the Hokage mountain in the distance and smiled when he Saw Hiruzen's face staring back at him. Minato wasn't there, but he still didn't have a firm grasp on the part of the timeline he was in.

They shopped for a while, him stopping to stare at every little thing that interested him, and his fingers itched with the need to draw or photograph the scenes. His mother tugged him along patiently with a knowing glint in her eyes and an amused smile. When they finished their exploration, which he was hesitant to stop, she half carried him home as his tired legs needed a break. He had been training and walking all day nonstop, and it didn't help that he was still an infant.

He smiled to himself drowsily as he lost himself to his thoughts and itchy fingers as soon as he got home and plopped himself down to draw before being called to dinner and his father asked him about his adventure. He animatedly told him everything with his father chuckling all the while. They listened as he spoke in rushed words and jumbled sentences in amusement with warm gazes. The atmosphere radiated warmth and safety. _This will be a treasured memory_ he thinks as he starts to feel his eyelids droop, but is hesitant to leave and sleep. His mother and father share a glance before his mother gently picks him up and brings him into his room before tucking him in bed and kissing him on the forehead. "Goodnight, my precious light." She whispers and he feels himself drifting off to sleep. His father chuckles in the background. He mumbles a groggy reply with a small smile before succumbing to his drowsiness.

 **Hi everyone! Sorry for the late update! A whole bunch happened this week so I wasn't able to write :p Hope you enjoyed, please leave a review and share!**


	5. Chapter 3: Meetings

His third birthday rolled around before he knew it and an excited buzz was in the air. He learned that many important clans would be in attendance and his mother ushered him from his room after spending _hours_ getting him ready. She was a bit of a perfectionist. He wore a sky blue kimono with white patterning and a gold obi. _Like the sun and the sky_ he mused.

He quickly arrived to the front of the property with his mother to begin welcoming the guests. Many he recognized from his first and second birthday greeted him warmly with him doing the same. He had grown very fond of the people around him and was happy whenever he got the chance to say hello. People often called him a gentle soul or an old soul because of his calm and gentle demeanor, but he didn't mind. It was just how he was. Of course only his family knew of his excitement at learning something new, art (he had gotten back into that skill very quickly), training, and deep love of his family.

He paused as a pair of vaguely familiar people strolled into the grounds. They weren't of the sarutobi clan, but rather the Hyuuga! He met their violet eyes and greeted them. He couldn't tell who they were, but he had to have been the head at the time. Hiashi, if he's in the right timeline. Hiruzen's age could only give him so vague of an idea.

They moved on quickly enough and then a few pairs showed up at the same time, the Ino-Shika-Cho head pairings. He was surprised they'd come to a child's birthday party, and they didn't seem to have their children with them. His brow furrowed slightly. _Was I born before the rookie 9?_ He shook his head of the thought, something to investigate later. He greeted everyone that came his way including heads from the Aburame and Inuzuka. The real shock came to him when the Uchihas arrived

Fugaku strolled into the compound with an air of authority and purpose. His son was striding alongside him with deep tear troughs down his face, though not quite as deep as he thought they were. _Itachi._ He realized quickly and greeted them warmly as he had the others. He eyed Itachi curiously though as they turned and walked away. He sighed inaudibly before turning to greet the rest of the guests.

There weren't that many after that and he was released to mingle with the guests. After all, he was the birthday boy and needed to make appearances. He happily complied, and made his way towards the conversing adults and children around his age. He first charmed the adults with his tranquil personality and easy smile despite his unnerving pure white eyes, and then strolled towards the rest of the children with the easy, unshakable, confidence of the adult that had been through just about everything in his previous life. Murphy's law and all that jazz. He gave them a serene smile after noticing their tense shoulders and watched as they relaxed. He frowned for a moment as he did whenever someone reacted this way, most of the time it was because of his eyes.

Still he greeted them kindly, but quickly realized he had forgotten how to interact with people his "own age". He paused for a moment unsure of how to continue when one asked if he wanted to play ninja. He readily jumped into the fray of the iconic game, but dialed back his skills in order to play at least fairly evenly with them. However, he grew bored and made up an excuse about having to do something because of his duties as the birthday boy and left the group.

He wandered aimlessly for a few moments before spying Itachi and Fugaku talking with a couple of adults. He noted how Fugaku dismissed his son quickly after getting into the conversation with stiff posture and a tense facial expression. _Must be talking about some serious clan jargon then._ Pausing, he marveled a bit at how easy he thought the rather expressionless man was to read. He had thought it would be more difficult to read the minute twitches of his fingers or muscles, and especially so with the formal clothes he had draped over his frame. _Must be from painstakingly taking down details in my various sketchbooks back then._ He watched Itachi move away from the group and find an empty space, alone from the rest of the party. Watching silently, he had a small internal dispute. _To go or not to go?_ He made up his mind and walked swiftly over to the boy, after all he could be good company. "Hello Itachi-san, are you enjoying the party so far?" He asked in a soft tone as he gazed at the Uchiha heir.

Itachi straightened slightly in surprise before glancing over and nodding slightly. _Ah, so he's the quiet type._ Of course, he already knew that from his interactions with the Naruto community, but another thought occurred to him. Was it really wise to be associating himself with a person who kills pretty much their entire clan in the future? Despite it not being entirely his fault? He gave a small smile and turned towards the party simply staying an observer and relishing in the quiet, and contemplated on his thoughts. "Asahi-san, is there something you needed?" Asahi slowly turned towards the boy with a slightly shocked and confused face. _So he speaks, and he speaks well! As expected of a child genius I suppose._ "No, I simply saw you here by yourself and decided to accompany you, Itachi-san." He laughed softly at the look Itachi gave him, as if he had never been talked to before, but perhaps whenever people talked to him they only talked to him for their own benefit because he was the clan heir. He could see that. Technically he was a clan heir as well. Not to the Sarutobi, but the Haruko. Supposedly he and mother were the only ones left. They had an eerily similar situation to the Uzumaki, and likely had some scattered members after the invasion of their own lands, but no one knows where they are.

He realized he had been spacing out and looked back to Itachi before realizing Itachi had been speaking. "Ah sorry Itachi-san I spaced out, could you repeat that?" He asked with a light dusting of pink no doubt covering his cheeks out of embarrassment, and his light complexion didn't help in hiding it. The Uchiha's lips twitched upwards in amusement so quickly he thought he had imagined it before restating the question.

 **Hello everyone! Welcome back to my humble writings! Sorry the update is a day late, yet again... I was sick all last week and had a ton of makeup work from school :p However, thanksgiving break is just around the corner so I'll be able to write tons! I might post an extra chapter or two because of all of the free time I'll have.. Who knows? ;) Hope y'all are enjoying the story so far! Please leave a review and share!**


	6. Chapter 4: Birthdays

"What flavor is the cake?" Itachi asked in all seriousness. He loved sweets, but his father was rather strict about him having any. Especially since he started his training. It was why he even allowed himself to be dragged to this party in the first place. He wanted to try the cake.

Asahi laughed, a melodious sound, and Itachi was entranced by it, even forgetting about his cake for a moment before refocusing on Asahi as he spoke. No one laughed like that back in the compound. "Ah, I believe there is both a vanilla and red velvet layer Itachi-san." Both good flavors, so he approved. He nodded then returned his attention to watching the party as it flowed around them. "Ne? Itachi-san?" He turned back to the birthday boy, only slightly unnerved by the unwavering stare from pure white eyes. "Yes, Asahi-san?" Asahi smiled slightly. Another action done with gentleness and grace that Itachi took note of. "How old are you?" That wasn't a question he had been expecting, although he probably should have been. "I'm two, my birthday is in a month." Asahi gasped softly in excitement before turning twinkling eyes up to Itachi who was quickly enraptured by their white depths. "Can I come?" He sounded so hopeful, and he didn't have a reason to turn him down, but he would still have to ask his father. So he told him so, and Asahi nodded in understanding before turning back to the party with a small smile still resting upon his lips. Itachi stared a moment longer before turning away and joining Asahi in a companionable silence, with the occasional small talk, until it was time to leave.

Asahi sent Itachi off with a warm feeling in his chest. He's a good kid. He had also made good company, and he hadn't quite realized how lonely he was until he was in conversation with him despite having his loving family. He was crazily well spoken, especially for a two, almost three, year old. Heck, it'd be incredible for someone four times his age! He knew Itachi was a genius, but he didn't expect his intelligence to be to this height. Frowning slightly he put a hand under his chin and wrinkled his brow in thought. Itachi was almost three which gave him a good timeline of where he was, but what he learned didn't make him happy. In a little over a year the third shinobi war would start, or maybe it was already going on, and he would likely be thrust into its depths. All he wanted to do was travel the world, and draw, paint, and photograph it. Sure he wanted to become an s-ranked shinobi, because that was awesome and why the hell not, but how far would he affect the plot? He sighed heavily realizing he would have to pick up his training. After all, he had Itachi to keep up with.

He kept himself busy over the next month by reading different scrolls in secret, all of them stolen from the clan library of course, and learning about his kekkei genkai from his mother. Only in theory, however, as they would only start his physical training when they thought he was ready. He was already far in his current lessons though, and he ate through the material like a man who hasn't eaten in years, so he figured it would be soon enough. He was easily slotted into the title of prodigy alongside Itachi although he never bothered to compare skills or knowledge among them. He remembered reading somewhere that practicing chakra before the age of four could damage your developing chakra coils, so he simply studied in as much theory as he could get his hands on. He didn't play with others "his age" which worried his mother somewhat, and whenever he was forced to go to the park he would simply plop down and pull a book or scroll from seemingly thin air before reading it until his mother gave up and brought them home. He would often wander alone and take in the sights around him, and appreciating the beauty of the nature in this world. He had only recently acquired a sketchbook, but it was almost full with all that he had drawn in a mad rush to get all he wanted down.

Itachi's upcoming birthday would be a nice change of pace, but he wished his family wasn't so high strung about it. The week before was spent looking for a birthday gift, which Asahi was happy to do, and then shopping for a new formal kimono. This he wasn't so enthusiastic about.

He was dragged from place to place endlessly until they found the "perfect kimono" as his mother had called it. It was a deep purple color with a white obi and lighter intricate trimmings. His hair had been growing a lot recently, and so he had decided, rather than cut it, to put it up with a simple deep purple ribbon which tied it in place. It contrasted his extremely light features, and somewhat brought out the gold in his hair. As an artist he appreciated the look, but as a child he was just glad it was over with.

Walking up to the Uchiha compound was strange. He could clearly see the ostracization, even this early as less and less non-uchiha appeared on the streets. His brow crinkled slightly, but he shook his head relieving himself of the stress. He supposed he could change things this time, but he would need to figure out how.

Before he knew it he was at the gates, and receiving a few curious stares. Well, he thought the looks were curious, it was hard to tell from the Uchiha's natural stoic expression. He continued on with his mother by his side. His father was out on a mission at the moment, so he regrettably couldn't come. The sea of dark hair and eyes parted for those of light until they reached Fugaku and the birthday by himself.

Asahi smiled slightly in greeting and bowed. "Fugaku-sama, Itachi-san, thank you for inviting me to your home." He glanced up slightly as they returned the greeting and he set his gift by all of the others. He was sure Itachi would like it, and was rather proud of his choice.

He turned to see Itachi was dismissed by his father and smiled calmly towards him. Itachi's lip twitched which he supposed could be seen as a smile.

"Happy birthday Itachi-san!" He exclaimed quietly with his hands resting on his hips, hoping not to bother the rest of the surprisingly quiet party. He just felt as if he shouldn't break the near silence and quiet mumbling. Itachi nodded in what he supposed was thanks and he nodded in response, more to himself than anything.

"So, what do you want to do Itachi-san? It's your birthday after all." He asked and relaxed his posture slightly. Itachi shrugged but started walking towards his left, deeper into the clan's grounds. He paused and beckoned for Asahi to follow, and so he did.

 **Hello again everyone! I'm actually pretty excited to start writing the next chapter which will consist of a budding friendship between Itachi and Asahi! How exciting! It's also four in the morning. Why am I up, you ask? Well I don't know either. oOpS. Please leave a review and share! :D**


	7. Chapter 5: Art and Dreams

He could not longer hear the quiet mumbles from the party. They walked in silence beside each other between the various traditional buildings. The path worn from many shoes walking this very route.

Eventually Itachi stopped near a training field. It was a wide clearing surrounded by trees on one side and walls covered in seals on the other to prevent damages to the housing behind it. Three targets were set up on large wooden poles to the left, and to the right a bunch of practice dummies were placed. Various chipped weapons were left, discarded among the ankle-high grass.

Asahi looked at him with a deadpan expression, "please don't tell me you want to train on your birthday." Itachi merely looked away sheepishly prompting Asahi to pinch the bridge of his nose and sigh. He looked down at the both of them, and took note of their clothing. "I don't think we should train in these fancy kimonos, yeah?"

He paused then walked towards the middle of the training ground, and Itachi followed closely behind. Asahi pointed at the ground in a silent command. Itachi followed and did as he ordered with a blank expression that Asahi thought was one of curiosity. Asahi then pulled out his sketchpad, which he always had on his person, and sat in front of him. "I'm gonna draw you," he stated, not giving Itachi any choice in the matter. "Just sit still please." He cleared his throat and began to sketch the general shape of his subject.

They sat silently, with only the scratch of Asahi's pencil on the page as a constant noise. Asahi found comfort in the familiar setting and his features relaxed even more than they normally were. He felt completely at ease. The pencil drifted across the page in rhythmic graceful strokes. He focused on the serene, blank, expression itachi wore and detailed the slight sparkle in his eye that betrayed his amusement, still getting used to Asahi's random quirks after a month long friendship.

Itachi shifted and Asahi looked up at him in question. "Do you want to take a break? We have been sitting here for a while now." He observed and shifted his gaze to the honeyed rays that told about an hour had passed. He was nearly finished anyways. He still needed to pencil in some of the details in the trees and rays of light scattered around Itachi who was sitting in a somewhat languid seiza. Itachi nodded then leaned forwards to inspect his work. He had only seen some of Asahi's minor sketches before, but never something he had sat down and concentrated on like this.

Asahi watched as Itachi's eyes widened in a kind of smug content, calmly committing the expression to memory so he could draw it later. He so wished he had a camera. If he was any other person, other than an Uchiha, Itachi might as well have been gasping in surprise. He laughed lightly and turned towards the page. He had certainly gotten a lot better, but not yet up to his previous life's standards. Curse you pudgy child fingers!

He was much more dexterous, however, because of this and could easily mold the hand signs his mother had begun to teach him. Itachi turned towards him with a bit more of a composed expression, but his eyes betrayed his excitement. "Asahi-san, you're drawing is wonderful." He stated this in a serious tone as he scooted forwards a bit closer. Asahi chuckled a bit nervously. "Oh yeah? Thank you very much Itachi-san!" He paused and glanced down at the page in contemplation. "Do you want it? Consider it another birthday gift!" He smiled demurely, unsure if he would take it, but his smile widened into a grin when Itachi nodded and so he carefully ripped out the page and handed it to the waiting boy.

Itachi didn't look up from the drawing even as Asahi stood up. He chuckled at Itachi's excitement, almost forgetting that he was still just three. He offered a hand which Itachi took and helped him up. He glanced around and noticed a bit more time has passed. "Ne, Itachi-san, they'll miss the birthday boy if he's gone for too long, you know." Itachi shrugged and barely glanced away from the drawing to look at his friend. Asahi laughed at this and grabbed his hand to pull him along.

He wasn't afraid to act as a child despite being an adult in his mind. As he pulled halfheartedly on itachi's arm to drag him along he had a thought. _What will I do when I grow up?_ Obviously he was going to become a great ninja, an s ranked ninja at that. That much was obvious and he had already planned to do that. He had already decided he would protect those he was close to, and not think of anyone as fictional characters. Plus that probably meant he would flip the plot the bird, which he didn't mind, but he still had dreams to travel the world and draw portraits of the people he happened to meet. Maybe with his power he could help them along the way.

He turned to Itachi with a pensive expression. "Itachi-san… What's your dream?" Itachi started at the question and turned away from the drawing to give him his full attention. He replied seriously and quickly, as if he had thought of this very thing many times. "To be a great ninja, an anbu." _An anbu, huh? I wonder how much of that is his dad's influence. He's such a pacifist, but maybe he thinks this is how he'll be able to protect his family?_ He simply gave him a languid smile in response and nodded before turning back. The party was just around this next bend.

"What about you, Asahi-san?" He stopped and turned, pausing for a bit to find the right words. "I want to experience the world, Itachi-san!" He gave him a grin, and without waiting for a response he dragged Itachi back into the party, where many were waiting to wish Itachi well or simply waiting to try and manipulate him for political gain.

 **Hello everyone! I'm actually posting this chapter on time! It's a miracle. Anyways I wanted to thank y'all for the wonderful reviews! Y'all have no idea how excited I get when I see a new one pop up! They seriously make my day. So please leave some more and share! I love to hear your thoughts and** **criticisms, so let loose! Got any ideas? Share them below! To all of my Americans, I hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving, and let me tell you that I can't wait for Christmas!**

 **Edit: Sorry everyone! I didn't realize that when I posted this chapter it hadn't kept it's structure which made it hard to read. It should be fixed now haha..**

 **Also I wanted to clarify a couple of things! Some of you are confused on whether or not Asahi is a Hyuuga. This is probably because I compared their eyes to his in the beginning. He is not a Hyuuga, but rather a clan that I made up. I sprinkled in a little bit of backstory, but basically his mother and him are much like the Uzumaki and are the perceived last of their scattered clan, and his father is a Sarutobi. Sorry for the confusion! You'll also hear a bit more about his plans for the future in the next couple chapters, and his training will get a bit more in depth when he starts his physical training. Hopefully this cleared up a few things, but if you have any more questions or suggestions leave them below and I'll try to make everything a bit clearer it the future! Thanks for your patience,**

 **Author Lowkey.**


	8. Author’s Note

Wowww... It's been a while.

So, sorry about that, and sorry if y'all lf you thought this would be an update. Well, I guess it is, just not to the story. My life has currently taken a big turn and I need to step away for awhile. A lot of stuff happened. Sorry, I can't really give much more of an explanation than that. I was thinking of rewriting all of this anyways haha. So, for now, In A Different Light is on hiatus, and I'm not sure when I'll be able to bring it back. However, when I do, it'll be a much better story than what it is now. Thanks for all the support.

Author of IADL,

LowkeyArtist.


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